TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – As Florida leaders continue to quarrel over the state budget, the prospect of tax cuts has some feuding with others.
On Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a roundtable to discuss the issue, pushing for property tax relief.
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DeSantis has been vocal about his support for statewide property tax cuts, insisting that property taxes have a punitive impact on homeowners within the Sunshine State.
“This is supposed to be your private property, but yet you could own your home for 50 years, and you’ve still got to pay the government just to live on your property!” DeSantis stated. “I mean, at some point, when do you own your property free and clear? Or are you just always going to be paying rent to the government?”
However, House Speaker Daniel Perez has eschewed that idea in favor of a massive cut to the state’s sales tax, which has caused a bit of a rift between the two politicians.
While Perez didn’t say he was against property tax reform, he told News 6 that DeSantis hasn’t outlined a specific policy for lawmakers.
“We’re open to other options, as long as it’s a recurring tax cut. The governor is going to say he’s for property tax relief; so are we,” Perez said. “In order to have property tax cuts, the voters have to vote on that at the next election cycle on the ballot. We don’t have the constitutional ability to eliminate property taxes for what the governor has proposed.”
TAX REBATE PROPOSAL
Earlier this year, DeSantis called on the Legislature to craft an amendment to the state constitution that would be attractive to voters in the state.
This is because property taxes are a local issue, meaning that an amendment is required to be enacted in order for state lawmakers to make direct changes. Such an amendment would have to be approved by at least 60% of voters in the next general election.
In the meantime, though, DeSantis said that the state needs to take action, proposing that lawmakers allow a $1,000 property tax rebate for every homeowner in the state.
“This proposal would benefit over 5.1 million homesteaded properties across Florida and marks a major step toward the Governor’s long-term goal of eliminating property taxes through a future constitutional amendment,” a release from his office back in March reads.
According to DeSantis, if the Legislature granted the authority to issue these rebates, they are set to be issued in December 2025 to cover state-mandated school property taxes.
But Perez lambasted the policy, claiming it’s not an effective way of addressing property taxes.
“That’s what Newsom did in California. It’s what Biden did during COVID,” he told News 6. “Just sending out checks, that is not a decrease of wasteful spending. That is just sending a one-time check. That is not property tax relief. That is a $1,000 giveaway.”
STATE BUDGET DEALS
Regardless, if the motion has any hope of succeeding, it will need to be approved as part of the state budget — though that’s much easier said than done.
On Friday, President Ben Albritton of the Florida Senate announced that he would no longer be bringing a House tax proposal to the Senate floor following concerns voiced by DeSantis earlier in the week.
“Specifically, that the proposal for an across-the-board sales tax cut would unduly benefit tourists and foreigners and is ‘dead on arrival,’” Albritton wrote.
Instead, Albritton said that his fellow senators wanted to look into “targeted tax relief” that would focus more closely on growing families and seniors living in the state.
As a result, Perez said the House will meet to extend the potential end date of the Legislative session until June 30 as lawmakers continue trying to iron out the details of the budget plan.
Lawmakers need to pass a budget before the July 1 start of the 2025-2026 fiscal year. DeSantis has line-item veto power.